HYDERABAD: Scores of senior activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) held a press conference at the local press club on Monday to announce that they were parting ways with the party and all links with its founder-leader Altaf Hussain. They said they were not going to join any other party.

Aamir Iqbal Khanzada, who was the joint zonal in-charge of Hyderabad in the MQM-L organisational structure, accompanied by a good number of party colleagues including Jawaid Khan, Farzana Ansari, Nadeem Siraj, Faheem Baig and several UC chairmen, vice chairmen and councillors, said that they had taken the decision without any pressure.

He said they had already informed other senior party colleagues about their decision through text messages. He said the number of the fellows quitting the party today was 70.

“We had been with the MQM-L even after the Aug 22, 2016 hate speech delivered by Altaf Hussain, who made us raise slogans against the country. He (Altaf) keeps using foul language against Pakistan and forces us to burn the national flag. He asks us to observe Independence Day as a black day,” he said.

While party activists obeyed his instructions, he enjoyed all this by sitting in London, Khanzada said, and argued that why he did not come to the country and join all such activities. “It’s quite easy for anyone to speak against the state and its institutions while remaining away in London,” he said.

“Our forefathers have founded Pakistan and we are faithful to the country ... we are ready to lay down our lives for our motherland,” he said.

Concluding his press conference, Khanzada urged the authorities concerned to help locate and recover two missing party activists, Faheem Baig Mughal and Kamran Ghori, who belonged to Hyderabad.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2017